New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra
received the Best Actress award from President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh
Patil, on March 19, 2010, becoming the youngest actress to be so honored,
Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Rampal joined an elite club of winners today
after being presented with the National Awards at a ceremony here which
also saw veteran cameraman V K Murthy receiving the Dada Saheb Phalke amid
a standing ovation from the audience The 56th National Awards were given
away by president Pratibha Patil.The 27-year-old was honored
at the 56th National Films Awards function at Vigyaan Bhavan in New Delhi
for her role as model Meghna Mathur in Madhur Bhandarkar written and directed
Hindi film Fashion.

Priyanka shared some more
good news with her Twitter fans yesterday: She will be replacing Akshay
Kumar as Fear Factor host for season 3.

The reality series will
feature a mix of national and international cricketers as contestants in
the upcoming season.

Priyanka, who returned
from the US earlier this month after wrapping up filming for Anjaana Anjaani
opposite Ranbir Kapoor, recently filmed a cameo for Jaane Kahan Se Aayi
Hai, in which she plays herself.

She will next start filming
for Vishal Bharadwaj's Saat Khoon Maaf with co-stars Mohanlal, Naseeruddin
Shah and Neil Nitin Mukesh

87-year-old Murthy, who
shot India's first cinemascope movie Kagaz Ke Phool and best remembered
for his stunning camera work for all films of legendary Guru Dutt, is the
first cinematographer to be given the Phalke since its inception in1969.

Priyanka, 28 received
the Rajat Kamal Medal and a cash prize of Rs 50,000 for Best Actress for
her role as an aspiring model in Fashion with her co-star Kangana Ranaut,
also winning the award for Best Supporting Actress.

Rampal received the award
for Supporting Actor for his role as a struggling musician in Rock On while
the award for Best Actor was conferred on Upendra Limaye for the Marathi
film Jogva. It is a first national award for Rampal, Priyanka and Kangana.

The President Smt. Pratibha
Devisingh Patil conferred the 56th National Film Awards for 2008 to the
illustrious winners in a glittering function held today at Vigyan Bhawan
in New Delhi. The eminent cinematographer Sh. V.K.Murthy received
standing ovation and thunderous applause when the President decorated him
with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2008. One
hundred thirty awardees in sixty nine categories received their Swarn and
Rajat Kamal medals along with the cash rewards at the hands of the President.

Congratulating the
winners, the President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil noted that every Indian
is proud of the international acclaim, awards and the growing interest
in Indian Cinema world over. Cinema needs to be continuously nurtured,
as a part of our efforts to not only excel in filmmaking, but also to use
it as a medium to give expression to the importance of a humane approach
in life, she said. The President also said that the film industry needs
to gear up to the challenges posed by demands for better cinematography
and overall quality of films and influences coming from other media of
entertainment such as television and the internet. Increased collaborations
between the Indian film industry and Hollywood are a common topic of discussions
in her visits abroad she noted. “ Our film industry can play a part in
bringing a progressive and fast developing India, anchored in thousands
of years of a rich civilization, to the minds of viewers”, the President
emphasized. Recalling Dada Saheb Phalke
Awardee Shri V.K. Murthy’s contribution to the world of cinematography,
the President noted that recognition accorded to Shri Murthy is extremely
relevant at a time when elsewhere around the world, newer and superior
techniques are being tried out to bring to the audience a better viewing
experience. Taking note of Best Child Artiste Award to Master Shams Patel,
Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil hoped that this award would make everyone
more aware about the plight and problems of street children and inspire
us to lend them a helping hand to ease their sufferings.

Speaking on the occasion
of the 56th National Film Awards function, the Union Minister of Information
and Broadcasting, Smt. Ambika Soni said that robust growth and development
of the film industry in India is high on the agenda of the Government and
the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is ready to facilitate this
process in every possible way. Smt Soni pointed out that the National Awards
manifest the multi cultural ethos recognizing and encouraging films, film
makers and writers from across the country and honouring them at the national
level. The Minister elaborated that recognising the sweeping changes that
have come about in the film industry across all aspects of production,
distribution, exhibition and marketing, with the advent of new ideas, new
business models and new technologies, the Ministry had constituted an Expert
Committee for the purpose. The Minister informed that the Committee has
completed its deliberations and the forthcoming National Awards would be
suitably upscaled. The Ministry also proposes to spearhead
the participation and promotion of Indian cinema in key markets and festivals
abroad in a much bigger way, Smt Soni informed.

Among notable winners who
personally received the award from Hon’ble President included: Director
Haobam Paban Kumar for Best Non-feature film “AFSPA 1958; Director Umesh
Kulkarni for Best Direction for “Three of Us”; Ganesh Anantharaman for
Best Book on Cinema “Bollywood Melodies” (English); Altaf Mazid and R.K.Bidur
Singh under Best Film Critic category; Director Anirudh Roy Choudhary
for his Best Feature film “Antaheen” (Bengali); Director Neeraj Pandey
and Sh. Ronnie Screwwala of UTV Motion Pictures for the Indira Gandhi Award
for Best First film - “A Wednesday” (Hindi); Director Dibakar Banerjee
for Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment - “Oye Lucky! Lucy
Oye” (Hindi); Director Abhaya Simha for Best Children’s Film - ‘Gubbachigalu”
(Kannada); Director Jugal Hansraj for Best Animation Film - “Roadside
Romeo” (Hindi); Director Bala for “Naan Kadavul” (Tamil); Upendra Limaye
for Best Actor in Marathi film ‘Jogva’,

Priyanka Chopra
for Best Actress in “Fashion” (Hindi); Arjun Rampal for Best
Supporting Actor in “Rock On” (Hindi); Farhan Akhtar as Producer for Best
Hindi Film “Rock on”; Kangana Ranaut for Best Supporting Actress
in “Fashion” (Hindi); Master Shams Patel for Best Child Artist in
“Thanks Maa” (Hindi); Hariharan for Best Male Playback Singer for “Jogva”;
Neeta Lulla for Best Costume Designer for “Jodhaa Akbar” and the all women
team of Producers and Director for Best Film on Family values “Little Zizou”.
Also present were Rahul Bose, Madhur Bhandakar, Rituparno Ghosh, Sonali
Kulkarni, Neetu Chandra, Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, child artiste Abhilash
Kashyap and Meena Debbarma among personalities from the cine world.

For the first time the National
Film Award ceremony was hosted by film personalities Divya Dutta and Ashutosh
Rana. The live rendition of Hariharan’s award winning song of Marathi
film “Jogva’ - “Jeev Dangla Gungla Rangla” and Bonnie Chakravorty’s performance
of the Best choreographed award winning song of “Jodhaa Akbar’” – ‘Azeem-o–
shaan Shahenshah’ enthralled the audience.